Hurt But Not Broken
by Emmster50
Summary: Nora's brother is dead. She has gone into a state of silence. She's imprisoned. When she finds a magical place, she learns something about her brother that she never expected. Will life start to get better? Or will it completely change forever?


**A/N: Hi Everyone! This is a story I was originally writing for Nanowrimo but i never got done, so now all of you can read it. I listed it under the Hunger Games because its quite similar, but not exactly the same. Such as the setting & story is different but the idea. Well, you'll see. I won't bother to explain it. Enjoy and remember, REVIEW!**

Prologue:

Peering through the thick barbed wire, Nora saw light. Not a blinding light, not a radiant light, but a dull, glowing like the ones in a hospital. Moving to get a better view, Nora saw it was an intruder. Something inside her made her angry. Adrenaline coursed through her veins. She leapt over the fence, the barbs scraping her legs. Blood flowed down her legs. She pushed the tree branches out of the way as she ran toward the meadow. Her meadow. She didn't feel pain, she kept going. This person was in her meadow. She needed to stop them. Running as fast as possible, she was almost to the center of the meadow in seconds. The glowing intruder was meters away. As she ran to attack them, the intruder turned around and everything went black.

Nora Lovegood lived in Calinia(may be changed later), a world ruled by the Calines(also may be changed), animal-humanlike creatures. They imprisoned humans in different areas around the globe, guards sent to watch them. Humans were treated somewhat fairly. Nora was an ordinary human girl who helped her parents in the fields, growing wheat and beans for the Calines and the rest of human population. Her region, Teran, was formerly the state of Pennsylvania and was the farming region. She never disobeyed anyone, even her parents, never tried to escape, never ever spoke up against the Calines, and barely ever said a word, only when necessary. She hadn't been quiet before; it started after the death of her twin brother, Xander. Her quietness worried her parents, but they let her be. Xander had been her best friend, the only person she completely trusted. He was a natural-born troublemaker, having several brushes with the law. Many times the guards had knocked on the Lovegood's door, Xander in handcuffs. He had pulled many pranks, such as pantsing a guard, vandalizing the city courthouse, and stealing the mayor's horse. The local authorities began to get fed up. He had been whipped, slapped, and beaten. But he never learned. It had happened two years ago. The memory burned in Nora's mind. Her brother on the platform in the center of the square. His eyes showed fear. He was on his knees, hands tied behind his back. He had been caught trying to hop the barbed wire fence surrounding the region. They had dragged him to the square to be punished. They whipped and beat him. His back was bloody and sore. One of the officials, Sam, stepped in to say it was enough. The man punishing Xander got angry, whipped out a gun, and pointed it at Sam. He had walked over to the side of the platform where Sam was standing, gun still aiming for Sam's face. Sam backed off, going back to his office. The man with the gun had so much fury, from Sam and Xander, that he pulled the trigger, aiming in Xander's direction. The bullet released, colliding with Xander's chest, sending him backward. Nora screamed. In the seconds before he died, he whispered to Nora, "Don't worry about me. Don't worry. They won't control us much longer." Nora always remembered him saying that every night before she went to sleep, if she slept. She had dreams of Xander suffering often. She would wake up screaming, her parents rushing into her room. But Nora would just wave them off, not needing them. These dreams kept her awake so often that she was almost an insomniac. The only thing that kept her happy and busy was writing. This helped her through the long sleepless nights. Slaving in the fields all day, which was tough, didn't help her much. She was often bored and tired after the long day. But the work did keep her mind off of the pain and gave her new ideas for poems and stories. But the pain still eventually found its way into her mind. Like it was going to explode out of her any second. Pain had replaced her best friend. Pain was her new best friend.

Walking to the fields, Nora breathed in the fresh air. It was a Friday, one day until Saturday. Nora always looked forward to Saturday. The Calines let everyone attend school on Saturdays in order to keep them somewhat educated. It was optional, so most people didn't attend, especially girls. Saturday was a day off for everyone so most girls liked to socialize. Nora was one of a few girls who went to school. The others were the teacher and a few adult women. Her mother would sometimes come if she could. Nora loved to learn about the world. Science, outer space, biology, art. Having big dreams for the future, she paid attention to every word. Every textbook she studied for hours at a time. The world astounded her. Her teacher even gave her some books that she had saved when the Calines had taken over. Sighing, Nora dragged her lunch sack behind her as she approached the fields. She saw her mother picking bright green beans off the stalks, waving as Nora walked past. Nora waved back, turning onto the road separating the bean and wheat fields. Gravel stabbing the soles of her feet through her leather shoes, she stared at the ground. She studied the different shaped rocks littering the ground. Slowly, she walked to the gray barn. The tinted windows revealed shadows cutting and chopping crops. She pushed through the heavy doors and slunk to her table. She signed in on the sheet and put her gloves on. The girl sitting next to her, Melanie Anta, a nice cheerful girl, said hi. Nora muttered a hi back and got to work. She chopped the ends off beans for six hours, getting a fifteen minute lunch in the middle of the day. At three, she walked over to the field where her dad was cutting wheat. She helped him cut for an extra two hours.

She collapsed on her cot, exhausted. Her eyes closed immediately closed. Nora loved this time because it was the only time she could actually sleep. Her mind drifted to all of her ideas. She had thought of a poem about snow. The words formed in her mind.

Crystal clear

Cold melting wonder

Creating a world

Unlike any other

The chills of its touch

Covering the world with its blanket

Her mind wondered somewhere else and then into sleep for the first time in a long time.

She awoke to the sound of her parents. Walking out of the small closet that was her room, Nora walked to the small kitchen in the front of the house. Her feet were freezing; the floor was chilly. On the oak table sat a loaf of bread, plates, utensils, boiled beans, and mugs of water. Her dad set a bit of homemade sausage on the bread plate. "Tiring day?" Her mom asked. Nora nodded. She stabbed her beans with her fork. As Nora bit into a piece of bread, her father, Charles, tried to start conversation as always. "So how was your day?" Nora stayed silent. "You know, you didn't have to help me those extra two hours today." Nora still stayed silent. Dead silence. They ate the rest of their meal in awkward silence. Nora picked up her plate, dumping the plate and utensils in the sink, breaking the silence. She waked to her room. She changed out of her work clothes into her pajamas. Hopping onto her cot, she slid out a book from under her pillow. It was her favorite. Romeo and Juliet. Her parents, having an extensive collection of books hidden in their basement from the Calines, had lost their copy of Romeo and Juliet. Sam, an official in town who most girls fawned over, had been a friend of the Lovegoods for as long as her parents could remember. His father was friends with Nora's. Even though he worked for the Calines, he bended the rules a bit. After invading and taking control, then Calines destroyed anything that helped people become independent and think. Thus, they burned most books, unless they were approved by the Calines, such as textbooks. Sam's family had hidden their books also. After the burning of the books in their town of Deca, Sam's father had found Romeo and Juliet buried in the ashes. Only the corner of the cover was burned. He hid it away with the rest of his collection, which was eventually passed onto Sam. Nora had yearned for the book ever since her parents told her about Shakespeare when she was seven. She had asked everyone in town who still had books if they ha a copy. Strangely, none of them had it. Sam was the only one who did. Nora loved reading all night about Romeo and Juliet's fight for their love. "Page one hundred and four," she said and started to read.

"Honey, I'm worried about Nora." Mrs. Lovegood said to her husband Charles, "I mean, the day is coming." "I worry too, Andrea, but she was fine last year, did't even say a word." Charles said. "But that's what worries me honey. She never speaks! She used to be happy and cheerful. She was also so talkative. I miss that. I bet the only words she has said to me all year were goodnight and bye. Not even I love you! She doesn't socialize like she used to. She has no friends anymore. All she does is read, write, and work. I don't want her living his way." Charles replied, "Can't we just send her to therapy or something? Doesn't Donna still offer therapy?" "Yes, but Nora would just sit there and not say anything." She said. There was silence. "Well, I don't know what to do. Why don't you talk to her? I'm going to bed," Charles said as he walked to their room. "Fine, but it won't help!" Andrea yelled after him. In dew seconds, Nora was standing in the doorway of the kitchen. "It's all right honey. We aren't fighting or anything." Mrs. Lovegood said. Nora stared down at her bare feet. Mrs. Lovegood sighed, "Just go to bed honey." Nora turned around and walked back to her room. "I love you" Mrs. Lovegood said as Nora opened her bedroom door. Nora seemed to pretend that she didn't hear her mother. Mrs. Lovegood sighed, got a glass of water and went to bed.

"YOu will change the world." The card Nora was holding said that. Her mind thought back to the day Xander dragged her across town to get their fortunes told. Nora didn't care to hear her fortune, but Xander forced her to come with him. Donna, fortune teller/therapist/witch doctor, had told them their fortunes individually, telling each not to share the information with the other. Xander went first, coming out with a very confused look on his face. Nora went in after, entering a small room with no windows, only lit by candles. Donna sat in the middle of the room. Across from her sat a small pillow to sit on. Nora sat down, crossing her eggs, and making eye contact with Donna. "Child, give me your hand." Donna had said, Nora extended her arm out to Donna. Taking Nora's hand in her palm, Donna hummed and chanted. Nora was stricken with fear. She just closed her eyes, pretending she was at her favorite place in the world. A made-up world. It was a fantasy she had all the time. In the fantasy, she was running, skipping, and dancing through a meadow that was lit with sunlight. It felt like hours as her dream self smelled flowers and danced through the meadow. Her eyes flew open when she felt something being put on her palm. She saw a card; it was blank. Nora noticed Donna sitting across from her, a smile on her face. Donna beckoned towards the card. Nora turned over the card and in the neatest script she had ever seen, were the words, "You will change the world." Looking up, Donna smiled again and said, "You may go."

Setting the card on her bedside table, Nora dug through the rest of her desk, searching for her writing assignment for school. She opened the bottom drawer, tons of notebooks spilling out. Papers flew out, most were stories and poems she had written. She had always longed to be a writer or poet. Reading through at least ten stories, she found her assignment. Her writings, she hoped, would one day be famous all over the world. Little did she know that she would be famous for something completely different…

It was noon and school was let out. Slinging her satchel over her shoulder, Nora walked home alone. She walked along the tree line of the forest, as always, when she noticed a little trail cut between the trees past the barbed wire. Barely noticeable unless you were right there in front of it. Hesitant to go through, she stood in the front of the trail for a few minutes, pacing. A part of her felt that she needed to go through that trail. Curious, but hesitant, she jumped over the fence using a small log and slipped through the tree. She followed the path into the unknown.

What she saw amazed her. It was a meadow. A brightly lit meadow bathed in sunlight. It was exactly the one she always dreamed about. After walking on the little path for a minute or two, she reached a dead end. A bright light shown through the trees. It was the sun. There was something amazing past the trees, Nora could feel it. She slipped through the trees to find herself in a meadow. Her meadow. Her dream meadow. Dropping her bag, she walked to the center. A gentle breeze made her tunic flutter happily. She spun around and let out a laugh. She smiled for the first time in a long time. After getting over her excitement, Nora decided to write about the meadow. She She ran and grabbed her notebook. She wrote down how she felt, what she saw, and what she smelled. Checking the pocket watch around her neck, Nora realized that is was five o'clock. Grabbing her bag, Nora ran through the forest, onto the path, and all the way home. She wanted to stay at the meadow. It was beckoning her to stay but she knew she couldn't. She would go back later. It was five minutes to six when she got home. Her parents would be home any minute, expecting dinner. She leapt to the kitchen, threw some beans in a pan, and started cooking. In a matter of minutes, her parents were home and the table was set. A bowl of fried beans, beef, and Nora greeted them.

"So today was the last day of the harvest!" Mrs. Lovegood said happily. She expected Nora to jump up happy like she used to, but Nora didn't. "Isn't that good, Nora?" Mr. Lovegood asked. Nora nodded. "So now no more work until spring! We can ski and play in the snow!" Her mom said. "You can go to the winter festival with all your friends!" "Snow cones!" "Hot chocolate!" "Christmas!" All of this was too much for Nora to bear. "Enough!" She erupted, "I am not going to the stupid winter festival! I don't have friends anymore, remember? Don't you get it? WHy are you trying to make me move on from him? Why?" She panted and ran to her room, her parents calling after her.

Tears streamed down her face as she read her poem.

"An ivy ground,

light fluttering through a screen-like foliage," Nora whispered,

"The birds cadences flower the stream,

roses red and gold.

A distant place,

far from the crystal clear sky,

becomes silent,

As if gold trinkets littered the ground,

the sun making them shine."

A surge of needing flooded her thoughts. She needed to be in the meadow, not here. She grabbed her notebook, her cloak, and a lantern. She checked to see if her parents were asleep. They were. She crept to the door. Grabbing the key off the hook, Nora locked the door behind her. The wind bit through her; A shiver ran down her spine. The lantern created a glow on her face. She stomped through the brown leaves and onto the path lining the trees. Grabbing a log, she stood on top of it and jumped over the barbed wire fence. She found the path and as she turned, she heard footsteps. A guard was approaching. Nora blocked the light of her lantern under her cloak. She kneeled, hiding her head under the cloak. It was getting really warm under the cloak. She wished the guard would just go away. She held her breath as the guard walked by. It was Sam. That's strange, Nora though, Sam doesn't do night watches. His lantern spread light onto the path, just barely missing Nora. He squinted, as if he couldn't even see the path. Once he had walked far enough away, Nora got her lantern from underneath her cloak before it caught on fire. She walked down the path to her special meadow.

Even in the darkness, the meadow still had a glow to it. Nora could still make out the vibrant purple of the lilies. The moon was crescent, shining on the center of the meadow like a single spotlight. Nora walked to the center and sat in the moonlight. Bathed in the moonlight, she wrote one of her most impressive poems ever.

A pale light,

a lonely girl over the plain,

reds, purples of day show bright in the night,

cadences of animals,

music of nature, light of nature,

All at one,

with humanity.

Soon after, dozens of writings and poems filled up the pages. After she was done with a poem about the girl and the moon, wind ripped through. It took out the flame in the lantern. Nora felt a sense of panic and reality. She knew that it wasn't a good idea for her to come out here. The only thing she could do was stay in the meadow until morning came. She wrapped her cloak around her, shivering, and laid down on the soft flowers.

It must have been dawn when Nora awoke to the sound of a blue bird singing. She realized where she was. She grabbed her notebook and ran. What she didn't notice was that her pencil fell out. She was at the fence in a minute flat. Checking to see if the coast was clear, she hopped over. When she reached the square, a few people were mingling about. Nora walked over to the store where she picked up a cup of tea and some bread (she needed an excuse for not being home that morning), and put them on her tab. She walked out of the store, glancing at the giant clock that said it was ten o'clock. Wow, I was way off on the time, Nora thought. Nora took a sip of tea as she sat down on a bench near the edge of the square. She pulled out her notebook, looking for her pencil. She couldn't find it so she just started reading what she had so far for a scenic for a play she was writing. It was about a prince who can't be with a princess because she is dead.

King- Henry, she is gone, dead. You must forget about her.

Prince- I love June, father. She was my light, my day, my-

"Hi Nora." A girl said. Nora looked up to find two mean girls, Lindsay and Jennifer, staring at her. "Hi" Nora whispered, looking down sheepishly at her paper. "Why are you so weird?" Lindsay asked. "Yeah you're always writing and don't even talk. What's wrong with you? Jennifer asked. Nora just stared at her notebook. "Answer!" Lindsay said. Jennifer snatched the notebook from Nora and threw it into the mud. She stomped on it. "There." Jennifer said. Nora went to grab the notebook, and as she did, the two girls pushed her face into the mud. Nora's mouth was full of mud and hot tears filled her eyes. The two girls walked off, laughing. Nora was effaced with mud. She got up and picked up her poor notebook. She walked home, crying. When she got home, she found her parents playing checkers. "Where have you been?" Her mom asked, "And why are you all muddy?" "I-I was just at the store and I fell in the mud, that's all." Nora said, trying to hide her tears. She walked to the bathroom. She looked at her reflection. She saw the girl she had always been. A fun-loving girl. That changed two years ago. She was a quiet, miserable girl. Nora didn't want to be that quiet miserable girl anymore. How did she let herself become that? Something had changed in her. The meadow had changed her. She wanted to do something, to change, to change the world. She went to her room after she wiped off all of the mud. She grabbed a pen and a piece of notebook paper, and drew up a chart. The title said, Nora's Perfect World. She wrote Xander in one box, freedom in another; meadow, friends, mom and dad, and boyfriend being others. No working in the fields and a job as a writer filled the last two boxes. She pinned it up on her cork board with a tack and smiled. Tears glistened in her eyes. She went to sleep, a smile on her face, but her head full of emotions.

Nora woke up cold. This was nothing new to her. Cold sweat ran down her back as she panted. She took a deep breath, recovering from the nightmare she just had. She sat in silence for a few minutes. She climbed under her sheets, snuggling into their warmth, grasping for sleep. She had fallen asleep as soon as she had gotten home that morning. She had no idea the time now. She sighed and close her eyes. Nora couldn't think of anything to dream about. She laid there in slink for what seemed like hours. She decided to just get up and get some water. Then, she would try to sleep. She lit a candle and put on her slippers. As she walked by her desk, the candle light illuminated the calendar that hung next to her perfect life chart. Circled in black ink was October 1st. She gulped and held back the tears. It was The Day. She knew her perfect life would never happen. The clock said midnight. And yesterday was September 30th. It is The Day. Walking out of her room, she walked to the kitchen. She drank glass after glass of water to try to calm her nerves. Her stomach full of water, she threw up in the sink. She kept her retching quiet, so her parents couldn't hear her. She knew they were still up, unable to sleep. She wiped her face with a cloth and rinsed out her threw out the cloth, leaving no evidence. She walked around, sitting in her father's leather chair and making a fire in the fireplace. There she sat, for what seemed like hours.

She found herself walking into Xander's bedroom. His old quilt was still there and it still smelled like him. She kneeled on the bed and hugged the quilt. Tears streamed out of her eyes. She walked around, looking at everything, choking on her tears. She found his old stuffed animals. Nora grabbed one and hugged it to her chest. It was his favorite when he was little. She looked at his cabinets. There were old and wooden, but Zander loved it. He kept odd things he found in it, a weird plant or a note from a girl. Nora opened it. Out came a piece of paper folded into a square. She opened it...


End file.
